Category Archives: grant writing

Is Grant Writing Success Really Just About Luck?

As a successful grant writer, I’ve actually had people say to me, “Wow! You sure are lucky!”  My first thought is, “Gee, that luck sure did take a lot of work!”

I’ll admit it.  There is a certain amount of luck in the formula of grant success, if you define luck as the impact of factors over which you have no control.  There are many things you can’t control in the process. You can’t control the readers.  You can’t control if your readers are well informed about your field or not.  You can’t control if your readers are tired, alert, happy, sad, cranky, or enthusiastic when they read and score your proposal.

In spite of that, there are many things you can control. The better your proposal, the more likely you are to be “lucky.” And a better proposal is all about skill and hard work. The more you refine your skill, the less vulnerable you are to luck.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

An Unusual Grant Scenario

I was hired recently by an organization to write a grant for a program they developed over a year ago. They applied for this same grant last year, but they were not successful.  The design section scored very well, but the needs section, management plan, and evaluation section did not score well.  In fact, those sections were scored very poorly.

My interest was piqued as I reviewed the readers’ comments.  Why?  Because this was an unusual scenario.

The most typical scenario when a grant is not funded is to see high scores for need, low scores for evaluation, and moderate scores for design.  Why is this?

Most applicants score high on need because they know their needs well. They have gathered their data and they really know why they want and need the grant.  Most applicants score low on evaluation because most people don’t know much about evaluation. It’s like the grant world’s second cousin.  Everybody knows there is an important connection to it, but not many have taken the time to really get to know it.

Scoring well on design, but poorly on everything else means that they know what they want to do, but they are unclear on why (needs section) and how (management plan). Or maybe they are clear on those things but they don’t know how to express it well.  In reality, it doesn’t matter.  If you can’t make it clear to the readers, you won’t be funded.

The good news is that I can help these folks.  They have an excellent, clear view of what they want to do.  They really do know how to do it; they just need help with expressing it in writing.  A needs section is easy to write if there’s a lot of available data (and there is).  As for evaluation, I’m a professional evaluator as well as a grant writer (did you know that?) so we’ll nail the evaluation section.

The lesson from this unusual grant scenario is that you must pay attention to all sections of your grant proposal.  All pieces of the puzzle need to fit together well. That requires attention to all sections separately, as well as to the way they connect to each other.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

An Unusual Grant Scenario

I was hired recently by an organization to write a grant for a program they developed over a year ago. They applied for this same grant last year, but they were not successful.  The design section scored very well, but the needs section, management plan, and evaluation section did not score well.  In fact, those sections were scored very poorly.

My interest was piqued as I reviewed the readers’ comments.  Why?  Because this was an unusual scenario.

The most typical scenario when a grant is not funded is to see high scores for need, low scores for evaluation, and moderate scores for design.  Why is this?

Most applicants score high on need because they know their needs well. They have gathered their data and they really know why they want and need the grant.  Most applicants score low on evaluation because most people don’t know much about evaluation. It’s like the grant world’s second cousin.  Everybody knows there is an important connection to it, but not many have taken the time to really get to know it.

Scoring well on design, but poorly on everything else means that they know what they want to do, but they are unclear on why (needs section) and how (management plan). Or maybe they are clear on those things but they don’t know how to express it well.  In reality, it doesn’t matter.  If you can’t make it clear to the readers, you won’t be funded.

The good news is that I can help these folks.  They have an excellent, clear view of what they want to do.  They really do know how to do it; they just need help with expressing it in writing.  A needs section is easy to write if there’s a lot of available data (and there is).  As for evaluation, I’m a professional evaluator as well as a grant writer (did you know that?) so we’ll nail the evaluation section.

The lesson from this unusual grant scenario is that you must pay attention to all sections of your grant proposal.  All pieces of the puzzle need to fit together well. That requires attention to all sections separately, as well as to the way they connect to each other.

Facing the Blank Page (or, Beginning to Write)

MaryEllen Bergh, our Grant Coach, is a master at helping people move beyond the blocks to success in grant writing. Here are some of her thoughts on getting passed writer’s block and starting to writing process:

Beginning to write is frequently the most difficult part of the writing process. You are looking at that blank page and no words come to you. How can you free your creative mind when you are stuck before you even begin?

The grant deadline is looming…you have done all your research and have copious notes for project design and expected outcomes. You’re ready – really ready – and there is the blank page that says “1 of 40”. You realize that at least 20 minutes has gone by and you haven’t started yet. What can you do when you’re staring at that blank sheet of paper with visions of sugarplums dancing in your head? When this happens to me (oh yes, I have extensive experience in this scenario!), there are several techniques that I use.

One of my favorite strategies (introduced to me by Kelly Stone in Thinking Write) is to visualize the words flowing out of my brain like water, streaming down my arms, through my hands, and onto the keyboard. When I am really seeing those words flowing freely, I like to begin with the “story”. Who is my client (or “who are we?” if you are writing for your organization) and what makes them unique?

Next, I take a few moments to visualize the proposed program. What will the design look like…feel like…what activities do I see? If I am not able to easily visualize the design, I sometimes draw a graphic that helps me clarify the big picture. Now I am moving through the next section. As this is one of several drafts, these first pages may look entirely different when finalized; however, this process always gets me “unstuck” and provides the motivation and focus to get started.

Remember to celebrate the creativity that is takes to make the blank page come to life!

Facing the Blank Page (or, Beginning to Write)

MaryEllen Bergh, our Grant Coach, is a master at helping people move beyond the blocks to success in grant writing. Here are some of her thoughts on getting passed writer’s block and starting to writing process:

Beginning to write is frequently the most difficult part of the writing process. You are looking at that blank page and no words come to you. How can you free your creative mind when you are stuck before you even begin?

The grant deadline is looming…you have done all your research and have copious notes for project design and expected outcomes. You’re ready – really ready – and there is the blank page that says “1 of 40”. You realize that at least 20 minutes has gone by and you haven’t started yet. What can you do when you’re staring at that blank sheet of paper with visions of sugarplums dancing in your head? When this happens to me (oh yes, I have extensive experience in this scenario!), there are several techniques that I use.

One of my favorite strategies (introduced to me by Kelly Stone in Thinking Write) is to visualize the words flowing out of my brain like water, streaming down my arms, through my hands, and onto the keyboard. When I am really seeing those words flowing freely, I like to begin with the “story”. Who is my client (or “who are we?” if you are writing for your organization) and what makes them unique?

Next, I take a few moments to visualize the proposed program. What will the design look like…feel like…what activities do I see? If I am not able to easily visualize the design, I sometimes draw a graphic that helps me clarify the big picture. Now I am moving through the next section. As this is one of several drafts, these first pages may look entirely different when finalized; however, this process always gets me “unstuck” and provides the motivation and focus to get started.

Remember to celebrate the creativity that is takes to make the blank page come to life!

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

How Can the Grant You Just Finished Help Make You a Better Writer?

The minutes and hours (and sometimes days) after a big grant deadline are typically filled with relief, rest, cleaning up reference resources, and putting life back in order before you get started on the next grant and do it all over again. What is often missing, though, is something that can really make a big difference for improving your grant writing in the future.

What is it?  Reflection.

Take some time after your next grant is submitted and ask yourself the following questions:

  • What went particularly well in this process?  Is it something that normally goes well, or was this different?  If it was a pleasant surprise, is there some way to modify your process to repeat this circumstance so it does happen again?
  • What didn’t go so well in the grant writing process? What was the cause of this issue?  Is there something you can change to prevent it from happening again?

Writing down your answers to these questions (something like a journal) can be very helpful.  If you work with a team, addressing these questions individually and then coming together as a group to discuss them can also be very helpful.

Another suggestion is to pick up a copy of the grant you just submitted a week or two later.  Read it with the scoring criteria or scoring rubric at your side.  Make notes about what you improve. Make those notes general enough to apply to any grant you may write in the future, but also note the examples from this grant so it will be a good reminder for you as your review your notes later.

There are many ways to reflect on your work, but the act of reflection is critical if you want to continue to improve as a writer. It is worth the time.  In fact, if your livelihood depends on grant writing, you really can’t afford not to.

————
F292X6NH352E

How Can the Grant You Just Finished Help Make You a Better Writer?

The minutes and hours (and sometimes days) after a big grant deadline are typically filled with relief, rest, cleaning up reference resources, and putting life back in order before you get started on the next grant and do it all over again. What is often missing, though, is something that can really make a big difference for improving your grant writing in the future.

What is it?  Reflection.

Take some time after your next grant is submitted and ask yourself the following questions:

  • What went particularly well in this process?  Is it something that normally goes well, or was this different?  If it was a pleasant surprise, is there some way to modify your process to repeat this circumstance so it does happen again?
  • What didn’t go so well in the grant writing process? What was the cause of this issue?  Is there something you can change to prevent it from happening again?

Writing down your answers to these questions (something like a journal) can be very helpful.  If you work with a team, addressing these questions individually and then coming together as a group to discuss them can also be very helpful.

Another suggestion is to pick up a copy of the grant you just submitted a week or two later.  Read it with the scoring criteria or scoring rubric at your side.  Make notes about what you improve. Make those notes general enough to apply to any grant you may write in the future, but also note the examples from this grant so it will be a good reminder for you as your review your notes later.

There are many ways to reflect on your work, but the act of reflection is critical if you want to continue to improve as a writer. It is worth the time.  In fact, if your livelihood depends on grant writing, you really can’t afford not to.

————
F292X6NH352E

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Grant Writing Success Starts with an Abundance Mentality

Attitude really is just about everything when it comes to success of any kind. Grant Coach MaryEllen Bergh shares her thoughts on the importance of maintaining an abundance mentality in the grant world:

How can the way you think about resources (time, energy, people, money) affect your success? If you always think about what you don’t have (scarcity), you are not able to see what you do have (abundance) and you see only problems instead of solutions. Scarcity thinking is the enemy of change – for individuals and organizations.

People with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me. The more principle-centered we become, the more we develop an abundance mentality, the more we are genuinely happy for the successes, well-being, achievements, recognition, and good fortune of other people. We believe their success adds to…rather than detracts from…our lives.

In any task that we undertake, our success depends on a variety of things but one key component that is frequently overlooked is having an abundance mentality. Viewing things from this perspective allows you to look at how something can be accomplished rather than why it can’t be done; you look at possibilities rather than problems. People who begin from abundance believe that there are enough resources available to reach their goals and also that their success doesn’t mean failure for others.

Scarcity thinking, on the other hand, is a belief that there is not enough to go around and that, as a result, we must settle for less. For example, instead of “We can’t ask for that much money, we are only a small district…they won’t ever give it to us” think “What can we achieve for students in our district when we are able to fully fund this program?” Instead of “Look at all the resources we need” consider “Look at all the resources we have.” Scarcity thinking is limiting but safe; we don’t have to move into new territory. A scarcity mindset gives us permission to excuse poor performance (“We don’t have the time or the money or the people to do this!”). While we need to think realistically about the alignment of resources used with resources available, an abundance mentality allows for innovative ways of thinking about the use of those resources and how we deliver services. The challenge is to override your fear and to recognize when you have moved into that scarcity mindset.

Abundance starts in your mind. The more you think that you have all the resources that you need to succeed, the more you will succeed. Thinking abundantly reveals possibilities and opportunities that might never have occurred to you if you weren’t open to the concept that there is enough for everyone. As individuals, we are often willing to challenge and change our belief systems, but we can’t go very far in changing the mindset of an organization if the leadership doesn’t see the need to change their patterns of thinking. What kinds of activities need to happen in your organization to change from a focus on scarcity to one of abundance?

——

Would you like more insight from MaryEllen?  Visit the Coach’s Corner on the GrantGoddess.com member site for multimedia resources and lots of wisdom and support from our Grant Coach. Click here to learn more about it and to sign up.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Grant Writing Success Starts with an Abundance Mentality

Attitude really is just about everything when it comes to success of any kind. Grant Coach MaryEllen Bergh shares her thoughts on the importance of maintaining an abundance mentality in the grant world:

How can the way you think about resources (time, energy, people, money) affect your success? If you always think about what you don’t have (scarcity), you are not able to see what you do have (abundance) and you see only problems instead of solutions. Scarcity thinking is the enemy of change – for individuals and organizations.

People with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me. The more principle-centered we become, the more we develop an abundance mentality, the more we are genuinely happy for the successes, well-being, achievements, recognition, and good fortune of other people. We believe their success adds to…rather than detracts from…our lives.

In any task that we undertake, our success depends on a variety of things but one key component that is frequently overlooked is having an abundance mentality. Viewing things from this perspective allows you to look at how something can be accomplished rather than why it can’t be done; you look at possibilities rather than problems. People who begin from abundance believe that there are enough resources available to reach their goals and also that their success doesn’t mean failure for others.

Scarcity thinking, on the other hand, is a belief that there is not enough to go around and that, as a result, we must settle for less. For example, instead of “We can’t ask for that much money, we are only a small district…they won’t ever give it to us” think “What can we achieve for students in our district when we are able to fully fund this program?” Instead of “Look at all the resources we need” consider “Look at all the resources we have.” Scarcity thinking is limiting but safe; we don’t have to move into new territory. A scarcity mindset gives us permission to excuse poor performance (“We don’t have the time or the money or the people to do this!”). While we need to think realistically about the alignment of resources used with resources available, an abundance mentality allows for innovative ways of thinking about the use of those resources and how we deliver services. The challenge is to override your fear and to recognize when you have moved into that scarcity mindset.

Abundance starts in your mind. The more you think that you have all the resources that you need to succeed, the more you will succeed. Thinking abundantly reveals possibilities and opportunities that might never have occurred to you if you weren’t open to the concept that there is enough for everyone. As individuals, we are often willing to challenge and change our belief systems, but we can’t go very far in changing the mindset of an organization if the leadership doesn’t see the need to change their patterns of thinking. What kinds of activities need to happen in your organization to change from a focus on scarcity to one of abundance?

——

Would you like more insight from MaryEllen?  Visit the Coach’s Corner on the GrantGoddess.com member site for multimedia resources and lots of wisdom and support from our Grant Coach. Click here to learn more about it and to sign up.

Grant Writing Secret – The Power of Language Mimicry

The persuasive power of mimicry has been well established in the fields of sales and marketing, yet professionals in education and the social services rarely use the strategy to get an advantage.  It can be a very powerful tool for success in grant writing.

Language mimicry in grant writing is all about using the same language of the scoring criteria in your responses to the criteria. I’m not talking about merely restating the criteria, but using the exact language of the criteria somewhere in your response.

Here’s a very basic example: If the scoring criterion is, “The degree to which the applicant identifies and addresses gaps in services,” you would not discuss “services that are missing.” You would specifically use the language “gaps in services.”  You would also claim  that your project “addresses these gaps in services to a very high degree,” or that it represents a “superior approach to addressing gaps in services.” Of course, the detail is important, but using the language of the criteria signals to readers that you are focusing on those criteria.

Unfortunately, what many people do instead of mimicking the language is to simply restate the criteria. “Our project has identified gaps in services and addresses them,” is an example of simply restating the criterion.

There are several reasons why this strategy gives you a leg up:

  1. Grant readers become fatigued after reading several grants. Fatigue begins to set in with the third grant read in a sitting.  As they become fatigued, they start to look for key words.  What are those key words?  The key words in the scoring criteria. the later in the day your proposal is read, the more important those key words become.
  2. Not all grant readers are experts in the disciplines of the competition. This is most commonly seen in the area of evaluation.  The criteria may include a requirement that your evaluation use both qualitative and quantitative data, and you may have given examples of both qualitative and quantitative data.  However, most grant readers are not evaluators and I have seen examples of readers not being able to identify listed data sources as qualitative and quantitative.  You need to write “The qualitative data we will collect for evaluation purposes are…..” and “The quantitative data we will collect….”
  3. In federal competitions, readers from other states may not understand programs in your state. For example, the criteria may say that the projects must include services for youth in schools going through a program improvement process.  Your state may have a particular name for that process that does not include the words “program improvement.”  You cannot assume the readers will just know.
  4. The psychological research in the area of mimicry tells us it works. When you mimic the language of the scoring criteria, the readers view you as more professional and more responsive to the RFP, in the same way that physically mimicking the person you are talking to in a meeting gives the impression that you are more interested and focused on that person’s needs.

Language mimicry is not the only thing you need to pay attention to in the grant writing process.  It is not even the most important thing to remember. However, it is one of those secrets that separates a good grant writer with a moderate level of success from the great ones with phenomenal success.  Which one do you want to be?

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com